A Night Talk at the Manor

Sword Forging Manor.

After dinner, a group of people sat around.

Some were singing loudly around the bonfire, their voices shaking the manor, others were hiding in corners with torches, telling ghost stories, some were drawing blueprints, and some were selling questionable goods in the corners, all having a great time, incredibly free and at ease.

Su Yu Niang and Jiu Cai Rong sat by the bonfire, chatting.

Su Yu Niang, being worldly-wise, didn't mention anything about Jiu Cai Rong's situation.

After all, anyone who's been cheated on knows that pride is the most important thing.

They both had their own thoughts about the game's main quest officially starting today – the Blacksmith Shop. Now, during the pre-logout bonfire dinner, they could finally talk about it happily.

Su Yu Niang poked the bonfire with a stick, and sparks danced up:

"While you were gone today, I explored the world's background and did some reading. This cultivation thing is really problematic, incredibly difficult. It seems that even if we barely manage to get started, the subsequent realms will be impossible to cultivate."

Jiu Cai Rong feigned composure, acting as if nothing had happened in reality. "I told you, if we can't level up by fighting monsters, we can't compete with the natives by honestly cultivating."

"But even if we can't cultivate, I already have some ideas about the cultivation system!"

"Oh?" Su Yu Niang was curious.

A few players nearby also perked up their ears and quietly walked over.

Playing a game required finding shortcuts, and personal game understanding was crucial at this stage. It could save a lot of detours and help them climb the combat power rankings faster.

After all, in the "Sword Forging Competition," a combat power ranking would definitely appear in the future.

It was just that the first season hadn't started yet.

Jiu Cai Rong smiled, looking like he held all the cards:

"The cultivation system isn't meant to turn us into high-level cultivators. It's just to barely get us started, plant a spiritual root, and gain divine abilities. Then, we're supposed to kill ourselves to become materials, implanting our spiritual roots into weapons."

Su Yu Niang's eyes lit up, "So that's how it is! The cultivation system is to serve the main quest of the blacksmith!"

That's right!

Aspiring to cultivate was unrealistic. The game's name itself indicated it wasn't the type for cultivation and leveling up.

We just need to get a basic grasp of these spiritual roots!

We can use ourselves as forging materials, and the [Innate Divine Abilities] from our spiritual roots will enter the magic artifacts, becoming the divine abilities within them!

We're basically low-level demonic beasts ourselves.

"Hahaha! Why bother searching for demonic beasts? I will surpass them myself!" Su Yu Niang's smile widened, her mind already envisioning a beautiful future.

These mountains, this water, these trees, the entire manor was filled with spiritual roots.

In that instant, all the trees and plants in the manor appeared to her as C, B, and ASSR cards.

Although most of these spiritual roots were just wild grass, barely qualifying as the lowest-grade spiritual roots after being nourished by spiritual energy, the kind that even dogs wouldn't want.

But they weren't aiming too high right now.

Shen Nong tasted a hundred herbs!

They wanted to test the divine abilities of each spiritual root, implant them into their bodies, and treat themselves as demonic beasts while forging iron, to see what spells the forged weapons would have!

This setting was too intriguing!

Weapons with infinite combinations and an infinite card pool!

Jiu Cai Rong said, "But this should be an advanced playstyle. No pain, no gain. Every forging requires the life of a blacksmith who grows a spiritual root, and the probability of [Forging Failure] might be very high! After all, these are unconventional demonic artifacts!"

Su Yu Niang nodded heavily.

Who didn't know that the weapon forging system was a bottomless pit?

Every attempt required a lot of preparation.

Jiu Cai Rong added, "I suggest we specifically find a group of talented scholars to train! Not to forge iron, but to be responsible for cultivation!"

"I'll call this profession an Enchanter!"

"Their task will be to study in Sword Forging Manor, open the three flowers, become cultivators, and then use their spiritual root's divine abilities to enchant weapons, adding various attributes and special effects."

Su Yu Niang nodded frequently as she listened.

The foreshadowing of cultivation, in her eyes, should be this.

However, the Enchanter profession was even nobler than the Blacksmith!

Even rarer, with a somewhat high barrier to entry!

After all, not everyone could plant a spiritual root.

Players had to spend magic coins to revive, which was a huge sum!

If they sacrificed their lives and threw in various materials, and then [Forged and Failed], they wouldn't even get their investment back.

Of course.

If they succeeded and forged a top-tier magic artifact, they would soar to success in one step.

"This path probably won't work in the short term. Currently, the probability of opening the three flowers is very low, and it would just be a futile sacrifice. We can't afford such a high-end approach."

Su Yu Niang thought for a moment and said, "I'd actually like to give it a try. In a while, I'll lead the charge to open the Three Flowers, connect the bridge between heaven and earth, and sense spiritual energy! Then I'll use my corpse to forge iron."

To be honest, she had tried it today too.

She discovered she had no talent for forging.

The weapons she made were a mess, crude and unrefined. With her fiery temper, she just wasn't cut out for it.

She did, however, find herself quite passionate about cultivation. She tried reading today and felt her comprehension was at least that of an extremely gifted cultivator.

Even though her cultivation talent was high, she knew she couldn't truly cultivate to the end. But being a noble enchanter would be pretty good.

"So, we've pretty much figured out the forging mechanics of the game now," Su Yu Niang said proudly.

"Indeed, the basic gameplay logic of the blacksmith shop is just like this," Jiu Cai Rong replied.

It was also because the two of them were leading the team.

Otherwise, an ordinary person might play for several weeks and still not be able to get targeted information from the old steward through subtle questioning and then piece it together through deduction.

"We're so good at playing this game!" Su Yu Niang declared triumphantly.

Jiu Cai Rong said, "Now, we need something to practice with. The crows overhead would be perfect."

"It's just that I don't know what innate divine abilities the crows have, or what abilities their bones and demon blood will impart to magic artifacts."

"Honestly, our Money Boys should also be a type of demon beast. Even without spiritual roots, we should be able to forge magic artifacts, but the cost-effectiveness is too low. Those innate divine abilities must be pretty trash."

Su Yu Niang chuckled, "Indeed, it's a huge loss to use ourselves as Money Boys for forging. It's only cost-effective to use them after becoming cultivators."

Jiu Cai Rong also felt clearer the more they talked, and laughed heartily, "That's right, what value does a Money Boy who hasn't studied have? Only a highly educated one can fetch a good price!"

With this comprehensive explanation, everyone listened with great satisfaction, feeling a sense of clarity as if a heavy cloud had lifted to reveal the moon.

It was like completing a deduction quest.

This way of exploring the forging system was quite interesting, showing a lot of thought had gone into it.

"Then let's set a small goal: catch a crow tomorrow," Su Yu Niang stood up and said, "I've wanted to deal with it for a long time, to bring clear skies to this manor!"

She just wondered if the crows' habits were the same as in reality.

If so, she could prepare some food, set up a birdcage and a trap, and lure it down.

At the same time, the archers would need to be ready. If the trap didn't work, they'd just shoot it down with arrows.

Not to mention.

She did have some research into bows and arrows, and firearms.

This was the fun of being a rich girl, and she was someone who enjoyed violence, often visiting shooting ranges.

"I might not be very proficient with bows and arrows. Tomorrow, after we've made the bow and arrow, I'll need to practice my accuracy," Su Yu Niang said. "We'll kill that crow and forge weapons for the brothers."

"Okay!"

"Okay!"

"Sister, you can do it! I've been annoyed by those crows for a long time!"

A group of people surrounded the bonfire, shouting loudly, but they were happy.

The sense of accomplishment from progressing step by step and developing was the true joy of this kind of game.

Jiu Cai Rong also nodded, "Then tomorrow, I'll go ask the old steward for the detailed methods of forging magic artifacts. I'll aim to get the first magic artifact made tomorrow."